Networking Tech Plan for Autonomous Cars Adopted by Volkswagen

A networking tech plan has been created by Volkswagen, who is looking to work with a number of suppliers on the autonomous car network connection.

If you’ve seen the self-driving test vehicles whizzing around your city (in Phoenix, especially), you’ve seen the twirling sensors surrounding the cars that help gather data. This same idea will continue to be modified for autonomous cars and Volkswagen is getting in on it with new networking tech.

The array of onboard sensors available now, and also being developed currently, generate massive amounts of data. Volkswagen, along with a group of suppliers, including Bosch, Continental, Nvidia, and Aquantia, have formed an alliance (Networking for Autonomous Vehicles) to create networking tech that will manage all the data coming in.

A networking tech plan from Volkswagen is on the way.

Self-Driving the Tech Forward

The NAV Alliance is set to develop networking tech for self-driving cars in the near future. Think of it as an advanced nervous system, according to Volkswagen.

“NAV alliance?s members are joining together in an effort to shape the future of in-vehicle networking technologies as society prepares for the paradigm shift to autonomous driving,” said VW in a statement.

The partnership will focus on creating a high-speed, multi-gigabit ethernet network that can ship data between the cameras surrounding a self-driving car, as well as the lidar and radar sensors and onboard computers. It’s a lot of entities to work with, but the networking tech will speed things up.

Phasing Outward

Ultimately, the Alliance is hoping to inspire other major automakers to develop networking tech similar to their process. The founding members of NAV hope to expand membership in the coming months, inviting other major brands to join in.

Volkswagen is also working with Aurora Innovation, a U.S.-based startup, to focus on developing self-driving tech for production cars.